


Valentine's Day

by NinesByDawn



Series: Nest Building [11]
Category: Teen Titans (Animated Series)
Genre: Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-14
Updated: 2020-02-14
Packaged: 2021-02-28 17:08:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,776
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23470678
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NinesByDawn/pseuds/NinesByDawn
Summary: Robin scrambles to come up with something unique and memorable for Valentine's Day. A trip down memory lane just might do the trick for the notoriously hard-to-impress empath.
Relationships: Dick Grayson/Raven, Rob/Rae, Robin/Raven
Series: Nest Building [11]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1655041
Kudos: 27





	Valentine's Day

**Author's Note:**

> only a month and a half late lmfao
> 
> In fairness, this was already written before Valentine's Day and I probably should've just posted it here then. Oh well.

“Valentine’s Day is pointless.”

“Come on, Rae,” Robin laughed. “You just hate it because people do even cheesier things than normal for it.” The two Titans sat on the couch in the main room of the tower, Raven reading and Robin aimlessly channel surfing.

“It’s pointless because if you’re in a relationship, à la us, you shouldn’t need a specific day to celebrate it,” she dismissed. “Why isn’t every day a day you’re nice to each other and tell your significant other you love them?”

“Well,” the Boy Wonder responded, “Sometimes life gets in the way. Sometimes you have a bad day and they take the heat for it. I guess it’s supposed to be a way for people to refocus on that special person. And remind them that they’re still there.”

“Alright, fair,” she conceded. “But it’s still pointless. Isn’t that day of love what your _anniversary_ is for?”

“Uhh…” this time Robin couldn’t come up with a response.

“It’s also worse because it’s an actual holiday,” Raven continued. “So single people like _Beast Boy_ feel worse about themselves because they can’t celebrate it. Not to mention how expensive it is to buy a gift or get a date anywhere.”

“So I take it you aren’t too keen on doing anything special today,” Robin chuckled. She looked up from her book and at him.

“I mean, I wouldn’t _mind_ if you got me something or we did something today,” Raven began. “But I just think it’s pointless to do it _because_ it’s Valentine’s Day. Wouldn’t it be just as nice any other day of the year?”

“I still think today is nice,” Robin mused. “Who knows, I might get you to think the same thing before the end of the day.”

“You can’t surprise me at this point, Boy Blunder,” she drawled.

“We’ll see,” he replied with a wink, and got up. Raven glanced at him for a few seconds before going back to reading. As he walked back to his room, he dropped his façade and started to think. It was true it was going to be difficult to do something unique. Raven obviously wouldn’t want any of the typical gifts like candy or flowers, but he had also done a lot already to appease her well-known interests, like books or tea. Robin arrived at his room and opened up one of the drawers. He pulled out the picture of them he’d been keeping and stared at it. Robin had planned to give her the picture in a frame later during the day. A small gesture, but one he hoped she would appreciate, and besides, she was never one for grand or extravagant expressions of love or friendship anyways.

Still thinking, Robin got on his laptop and browsed through his photos. He’d kept photos throughout all their years as a team, no matter how trivial of moments they were. At first it was so he would have something to reference in order to combat any repeat villains. He could comb the photos for little things he missed in the heat of battle, clues that might expose a potential weakness in the foes they battled so often. But Robin also had many photos from the team’s time just living life. He didn’t get sentimental often, but when he did, it was nice to be able to have those references from all the times they acted like normal teenagers and did teenager things. The Boy Wonder scrolled further down his collection, going through the more recent photos. Exotic memories from their various travels around the world, but more importantly, more photos of him with only a certain empath. There weren’t many compared to everything else, but an idea started to form in his head. One that he hoped might get his Raven to appreciate the holiday a little more, but even if she didn’t, would be fun regardless. Robin smiled to himself, and began to go to work.

* * *

Raven frowned as she sat at the couch again in the afternoon. The others, with the exception of the team leader, were all in the main room and being loud and boisterous as usual. She hadn’t seen Robin since they’d had their discussion earlier. A small part of her worried she had turned him off with her open expression of her loathing of this particular day. He might not have been willing to tell her if he was hurt by her words, but she wouldn’t put it past him to be brooding alone in his room right now if he had truly been hurt. _No, that can’t be,_ she dismissed. The empath would’ve felt it through their bond if he had been upset. She concentrated for a moment, focusing on him. She felt feelings of anxiety and nervousness, but also tinged with excitement. _Strange. Maybe he is planning something. And maybe I should’ve done something for him since he cares about it more,_ she thought guiltily.

“So, Rae,” Cyborg called. “Plans for Valentine’s Day?” She snapped back to reality and turned her attention to the other Titans. They were sitting around the table, rapidly consuming a giant box of chocolates an evidently secret admirer had mailed to Starfire.

“Valentine’s Day is pointless,” she repeated, shaking her head. “But maybe Boy Blunder has something planned. I don’t know.”

“Come on, Raven!” Beast Boy exclaimed. “You’re afraid of admitting your loooooove? We all know it, you don’t have to hide it from any of us anymore.” She rolled her eyes at the immature shapeshifter.

“On my planet, we celebrate a similar holiday,” Starfire interjected. “It lasts weeks and is full of wondrous festivals and music.”

“I’ll go see what he’s up to,” Raven decided. “Beats staying here listening to you three.”

“Lighten up,” Cyborg chuckled. “At least you have someone to celebrate with.”

“Super lame,” Beast Boy grumbled. “No one in this city wants to date me? With my built body?”

“Looks pretty scrawny to me,” the half-robot teased, pinching his arm. The two started bickering while Starfire tried to mediate, and Raven tuned them all out, striding down the hallway to Robin’s room. She knocked on his door and waited for a few moments. No response. Raven raised an eyebrow, then knocked again. Again, silence.

“Robin?” she called. _Must not be in his room, then,_ she thought. Raven was about to leave and go check other parts of the tower when the door suddenly shot open. She hesitated, then took a step in. Although she’d been in his room many times now, they still respected each other’s privacy and usually didn’t go snooping around in each other’s rooms. Robin’s room was mostly plain, with the bare essentials taking up most of the space and no decorations or unique things to spice it up. She spotted a photo on his desk and picked it up. Examining it, she realized it was from long ago. When they had first met. Her mind flashed back to the day of the Gordanian invasion. Beast Boy had insisted on taking a picture to commemorate their victory, and they had begrudgingly agreed to snap a quick one in front of the ship that would become the tower. Raven cringed a little at herself. She was in between Robin and Cyborg, and her stoic expression was a stark contrast to Cyborg’s toothy grin and Robin’s polite smile for the camera. Her hood was up, and it was clear she was disinterested. _How far we’ve come_ , she thought wistfully. Turning the photo over, she found a note scribbled in pen.

 _If you’ve found this, it means I’m done setting up. Head down to the garage for your next clue. Hope you enjoy playing my little game._ Raven stared at the note for a little bit, then tucked the photo away. She had no idea what he had in store for her, but figured she’d go along with it for now. The empath exited and went to the elevator, going down and entering the spacious place where the team kept their vehicles. She walked around for a bit, before noticing another photo attached to the R-Cycle. Plucking it off the seat, she examined it closely. It was again a picture of the team, this time in the kitchen. Evidently, Starfire had taken it, as she wasn’t in the shot. Raven saw herself seated at the breakfast table, her mouth open in shock. Cyborg and Beast Boy were next to her, each holding plates piled high with food, and Robin was off to the side, looking at her and laughing. She recognized it as the morning after they’d rescued Robin from his apprenticeship under Slade. _This_ was _my idea, wasn’t it?_ She thought wryly. Turning it over, she found another note. _I like this moment because it’s when you first started opening up to the rest of us. To find your next clue, answer these questions and take the first letter of each answer._ _1\. My last name. 2. I love ___ 3. What are these photos of?_

“Grayson, You, Memories,” she murmured to herself. “Gym.” She laughed to herself at his simple questions. Maybe he hadn’t had time to come up with sophisticated riddles. She tucked the photo in her cloak, then went on to her next destination. And so it went for the afternoon, the empath following the directions on each of the photos he had left for her and discovering more moments the Boy Wonder had chosen hidden throughout the tower.

In the gym, Raven found a photo from their time watching the horror movie. Her legs were up on the edge of the couch and her hood was up. The other four had similarly scared expressions on their faces, while she could tell she was trying to hide her own feelings. _Remember, it’s okay to let loose sometimes. You never know what might happen_ , the note read.

In the evidence room, a photo taped underneath the keyboard of the main computer. Robin was smiling at the camera on one edge of the couch in the photo, while she sat reading on the other edge of the couch. Strange. Raven didn’t remember when this one was taken. _After your run-in with Malchior. We all wanted you to know that we’re there for you._ I’m _there for you. Always._

In the main room, after ignoring questions from the other three Titans and rummaging around the bottom of the sink for a bit, a photo from their surprise birthday party. The empath silently floated away and into the hallway in order to read the note undisturbed. She had managed to keep a neutral expression for the photo instead of frowning. Robin’s arm was around her and he had a small smile on, while the other three were grinning and holding their respective food items they had made for her. _In hindsight, you were right. This was a bad idea and it was just the beginning of what was to come. But, in hindsight again, after everything that happened, I look back on this moment more fondly. All I wanted was to keep you safe, and even if it was temporary, that’s what I did._

Up on the rooftop, Raven’s heart caught in her throat as she plucked the photo from the edge of one of the vents. The hug she had given him, right after they’d saved the world. _I always believed, Raven. I never gave up hope, because you never did._

Back in the game room, she found a photo stuck underneath one of the foosball tables. She examined it closely; it was just the two of them on the rooftop, meditating. _Getting closer to you. Understanding more about our bond. And appreciating you even more for everything you are._

In the infirmary, Raven found the photo simply hidden under the sheets of one of the beds. The two of them were walking down the street somewhere in the city. Although they weren’t holding hands, her face was turned towards him and she was saying something while cracking the slightest of smiles. He was listening to her intently, and also smiling in return. _Little moments like these. I already knew you were special, but these moments made our bond even stronger._

In the laundry room, she procured the photo from the back corner of one of the cabinets, and immediately chuckled quietly to herself. They were sitting on a bench, and her eyes were almost squeezed shut from embarrassment. There was a slight tinge of red in her cheeks, and he was leaned in to her, giving her a kiss on the cheek. The first date. She shook her head. He _had_ been extremely cheesy on that night, and it had made her want to crawl out of her skin. They were both nervous then. But she’d given in when he begged her to take a few photos to remember the moment.

The empath finally arrived at her room as instructed by the photo, carrying all of the other ones in a small stack in her hand. She looked around for a bit, seeing all the shelves were still in place. Then, she spotted a small picture frame on her bed. Picking it up, she studied both the frame itself and the photo. The frame was a light gold with slight black stripes and other subtle designs adorning it. Raven was thankful he hadn’t gotten her one of the many red heart-shaped frames she saw in every store. Scanning the photo, she felt a pang in her heart. It wasn’t some moment from one of their many dates, adventures, or of them kissing or hugging. They were simply both sitting on the couch again, each with an arm around the other. Robin was flashing a wide grin, and she had a bright smile on her face as well. Raven couldn’t remember the exact moment, but it must have been when they were both genuinely happy. She knew she didn’t even smile that much to begin with, and this was the largest one she had ever seen herself make.

“Happy Valentine’s Day,” a voice came behind her. Two gloved hands gently wrapped themselves around her waist, and she felt a kiss on her cheek a second later. She turned in his embrace and returned the gesture, wrapping her hands around him.

“Robin…” Raven murmured.

“So?” he asked, beaming. “What did you think? Did you enjoy it?”

“You certainly know how to mess with my emotions, if that was your purpose,” she laughed quietly.

“I told you this morning. Today’s about refocusing,” Robin replied. “As you can see from everything you’ve collected, we’ve come a long way. Sometimes that’s easy to forget. But that just makes it more meaningful when you get a chance to reflect on it.”

“I guess I haven’t really thought about how far we’ve come in a while,” she admitted. Raven let go and turned to walk over to the window. Robin followed her and put a hand on her shoulder as they both gazed outside. “This was…nice.”

“It was nice for me too. When I told you, that very first day we met, that I knew enough, I had no idea what it would eventually turn into. But I’m glad I trusted my intuition.”

“It…was an enjoyable gift,” Raven conceded, holding up the stack of photos. “You did surprise me. Thank you.”

“That wasn’t really the original gift,” Robin admitted sheepishly. He picked up the picture frame and showed it to her. “This was.”

“It is a nice picture to keep by me,” she mused. “Even if it is weird seeing myself smile that much.”

“But then we talked about today,” Robin said. “And I thought about how we could still make this day special. For us. It doesn’t have to be about flowers, or fancy dinners, or chocolate. It can just be about _us_. Hopefully, that’s something you’re okay with.”

“Well, maybe I do like this a little better.”

“Maybe it can…” he thought aloud, while taking her hand, “be our Valentine’s tradition. Our own special way to celebrate. We can add photos every year, and pick out different ones from the past.”

“I’m choosing them next year then,” Raven teased. “And I’ll have much harder riddles than the ones you were coming up with.”

“I’m sure you will,” Robin chuckled. “How about it then? We’ll do this as our little thing. You can stop complaining about how pointless this holiday is and we can both be happy on this day. How does that sound?”

Raven paused for a moment, then looked at him with a small smile. “I’d like that.”


End file.
